


Missing Piece of the Puzzle.

by caitlesshea



Series: It's SO Fluffy! [14]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: M/M, Real Surf, surf dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-09 00:59:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17991836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Adrian, Deran, & some more life changing decisions. Perhaps...a son?





	1. Call us Dad.

**Author's Note:**

> The last part of this AU series. I've had these written for a couple of months & promised myself I would post them before the new season. I really can't wait until Season 4 now with all the bts we're getting! domestic!Boyfriends we deserve! 
> 
> Thank you allthehearteyes for all your love and support!!
> 
> *PSA - I suck at thinking of character names, so you'll see some familiar names throughout.

Deran’s phone is ringing. He pulls it out his pocket and sees “Jess Dolan” flashing across the screen. His immediate thought is _Adrian. Something’s wrong with Adrian._  
  
He picks it up, “Jess. What’s wrong?"

  
“Deran?" she questions, like she couldn’t believe she called him. “I can’t get ahold of Adrian and I need him," she says frantically.  
  
“He’s at the Shop, probably fixing a board.” He’s not sure anymore though. And that has him a little freaked out.  
  
“I have to go into work and I need him to watch Spencer.” _She’s_ freaking out now.

  
“I’ll come get him. I’ll track down Adrian too.”  
  
“Are you sure? I hate to be a burden...”  
  
“Yeah. Give me 15," Deran says. She thanks him and hangs up.  
  
He grabs his keys and calls the Shop on his way to Jess’ place.  
  
“Hey Tao, Adrian around?" He asks when Tao answers.  
  
“Hey D, yeah in the back. Want me to grab him?"  
  
“Nah, just tell him to give me a call when he’s free," Deran says back. He _thinks_ he can handle the toddler for a while on his own.  
  
“Will do," Tao says and hangs up.  
  
He gets to Jess’ and she’s already walking outside with Spencer and holding his car seat. She puts it in Deran’s van, hands Deran a bag filled with toys, and says to Spencer, “You’re gonna go with Uncle Deran now. I’ll see you after dinner," she kisses him on the forehead.  
  
She looks at Deran and says, “Thank you. Please call me if you have questions. Did you find Adrian?" she asks.  
  
“Yeah he’s at the Shop," Deran says back, “Go. We’ll be fine. Won’t we buddy?" he directs the last part to Spencer.  
  
“Thanks again!" she says and drives off.  
  
“C’mon, we can have pizza for dinner," he says to Spencer as he drives away. “I’ll even let you help make it," he says, trying to get a reaction.  
  
“Okay," Spencer says, smiling. He’s so much like Adrian it’s scary.  
  
They get back to the house and Deran looks through the bag of toys. He chuckles to himself when he finds puzzles. _Just_ like Adrian then.  
  
“Want to do the puzzles?" he asks Spencer. “Your Uncle Adrian likes them too," Deran says as he points to a large one they had framed of their favorite surf spot that Adrian did.  
  
“Yeah!" Spencer says enthusiastically.  
  
They’re able to get through three of them before Spencer says, “I’m hungry."  
  
Deran looks at the time. A couple hours had passed.  
  
“Okay buddy, let’s make pizza," he says. He picks him up and makes him into a pretend airplane complete with sound effects, as he takes him towards the kitchen. Spencer’s laughing and Deran thinks he’s never heard a sweeter sound.

  
They start the pizza and he’s pretty sure there’s more sauce on them then there is on the pizza once it’s done. He’s lifting Spencer up to the sink to try and clean him off while the pizza cooks, when he hears Adrian come home.  
  
“Deran? I’m so sorry. I just got all the messages. Talked to Jess, she said you grabbed him," he says winded.  
  
“Hey. Yeah we’re good. Just got pizza in the oven. Somebody helped make it," he says putting Spencer back on the floor.  
  
“Hey little guy," Adrian says as Spencer runs towards him and grabs his legs. Adrian chuckles.  
  
“He wasn’t too much trouble?"  
  
“No we did some puzzles and watched TV.”.  
  
“Uncle Adrian?" Spencer says as he pulls on Adrian’s pant leg.  
  
“Will you color with me?" Spencer asks.  
  
“Sure buddy," Adrian says, as he lets himself be dragged to the living room.  
  
Deran finishes grabbing the rest of dinner. He can hear them chatting away, laughing at their own antics.  
  
“C’mon, let’s eat," Deran calls.  
  
They all sit down and he watches Adrian cut up Spencer’s food. So patient. He smiles as he hears Spencer chatting away about their day, and Adrian just taking it all in.  
  
“What?" Adrian says to him when he looks up.  
  
“Nothing. You’re good with him," Deran says as he points his head towards Spencer.  
  
“So are you. He’d spend every day with you if he could," Adrian says back, smile in his voice.  
  
Deran just shrugs and smiles.  


After dinner they set up one of the movies Jess gave them. It’s not long before Adrian is asleep with a sleeping Spencer on his chest.  
  
Deran feels his heart strings pull. He can’t help it, seeing Adrian like this, just _does_ things to him.  
  
He hears a knock at the door. He lets Jess in and gestures to the couch.  
  
She smiles, “He really can fall asleep anywhere," she says.  
  
“Which one?" Deran laughs.  
  
“Good point," Jess says. “Thanks again for taking him. My boss was flipping out."  
  
Deran shrugs her off, “I like watching him, it’s no problem."  
  
She has this look in her eye that he doesn’t know how to decipher.  
  
“What?" he says and scratches the back of his neck.  
  
“Oh nothing. This is how I was before I had Spencer."  
  
“What do you mean?" he says, suddenly self conscious.  
  
“You’d be a great dad, Deran. You both would," she gestures to Adrian.  
  
“I’m not.we’re...we’re not. We’ve never...We’ve never talked about it," Deran stutters out.  
  
“Maybe we should," Adrian says from the couch.  
  
Deran just looks at him, frozen. He isn’t sure what to say. His mind is racing a mile a minute. So is his heart.

  
“And...that’s my cue to leave. C’mon baby.” She says as she takes Spencer and grabs his things.  “Later bro. I’ll call you.” And then she’s gone.  
  
“Deran?" Adrian questions.  
  
“You’re serious?" Deran says as he snaps out of it.  
  
He can picture it now, his life with Adrian, including a child. Showing them how to surf, cooking with them, doing puzzles with them...not showing them how to hotwire a car. Okay... _maybe_ showing them how to hotwire a car. Someday. He imagines coming home from the bar and finding Adrian and their kid in a similar position as he was just in with their nephew. He _wants_ it.  
  
“Yeah. I’m serious. Maybe not yet, but someday. Yeah, I think we could do this,.”  
  
“Us. Parents.” Deran shakes his head and says back disbelieving. He knows there is much more to discuss. He knows they aren’t ready for that, y _et._ But he knows someday they will be. He can’t wait.  
  
He kisses Adrian. Hard. When they finally break apart, they’re both breathless. He leans his forehead on Adrian’s and looks into his eyes.  
  
“But they’re calling us Dad," Adrian says to him. Deran laughs. He gets the meaning behind that. Between Smurf and Billy, and even Adrian’s own asshole father, they don’t have the best role models. Certainly not anyone to look up to and call a parent.  
  
“They’ll call us Dad.”  



	2. Bit of both of us.

They’re nervous. Pacing the waiting room with an overly energetic five year old Spencer. When they decided they wanted to have kids a couple of years ago they never anticipated this. Jess agreeing to be their surrogate. Deran going into a sterile room with a cup. “A little bit of both of us." Adrian had said. Did he really want there to be more Cody’s in the world?  _ Too late now _ . He laughs.    
  
“You okay?" Adrian asks him, as he pulls Spencer to him to sit in his lap again.    
  
“Yeah. Nervous." Deran says, as his legs are shaking. He feels Adrian’s warm, strong hand come down on his left leg. 

  
“It’ll be okay.”.    
  
“Wish she would’ve let us go back.” He hears Adrian laugh. He leans over to kiss him.   
  
“Don’t think we want to be back there," Adrian says, smiling. He’s right. He doesn’t  _ really _ want to be there. But he wants to be the first one who sees their son. He’s selfish. He knows that they can never repay Jess for what she’s doing for them. But he still wants to see him first.    
  
“Mommy’s giving me a cousin," Spencer says. His grasp on the situation is pretty good, if not entirely correct. Adrian laughs again. “Yeah buddy."   
  
“What’s his name?" Spencer asks.    
  
“It’s a secret bud," Deran says. Not really a secret, more so, they weren’t 100% sold on a name yet. They kept going back and forth.    
  
“I want to know what to call him. He’s my friend," Spencer says again. It’s cute. He can’t wait for them to know each other. Although he thinks Spencer is a little overly enthusiastic with how soon he’ll be able to play with his cousin. He laughs and grabs Spencer out of Adrian’s hands to settle him in his lap.   
  
“You’ll know soon," Deran says as he looks to Adrian. He sees Adrian’s eyes twinkling. He can’t help it, he smiles back. That must’ve satisfied Spencer because he goes back to playing on Deran’s phone.   
  
“Deran?" He hears his name and he looks up to see Linc, of all people. He internally groans. 

  
“What are you guys doing here?"  
  
“My sister’s in labor." Adrian answers for him.   
  
He sees Linc nod. He looks uncomfortable. _Feelings mutual._  
  
“Uncle Deran. I can’t get it," Spencer says as he holds the phone to him. He starts to take the phone when the doctor comes by.  
  
“Mr. and Mr. Cody," the doctor says. They both shoot up out of their seats. He steadies Spencer.  
  
“Would you like to come meet your son?" The doctor says smiling.   
  
“Yes." They say in unison. He chuckles. He glances at Linc, who is looking between them and the doctor, obviously putting the pieces together. “Congrats," Linc says.  
  
“Thanks," he hears Adrian say as they follow the doctor to Jess’ room.  
  
When they enter, Jess is on the bed smiling. Spencer runs to her. “Mommy!" he shouts and is about to jump on the bed when Adrian grabs his shoulder, “Careful," he says to Spencer. He sees Adrian lift Spencer up to the bed so he can lay next to his mom. His eyes soften. And then a nurse is handing him a warm blue bundle.  
  
He’s in awe. He looks up at Jess through tears and hears her say, “Wanted you to hold him first." He really doesn’t know what he did to deserve these two siblings, but he thanks his lucky stars. And then he looks down at his son’s face and he smiles. He notices Adrian come up to him and put a hand on his little head as well. There are tears in both their eyes. He’s beautiful. He’s perfect. His heart has never been so full. He didn’t realize how quickly he would fall in love but he did. He leans into Adrian.  
  
“Did you decide on a name?" Jess asks them.   
  
“Jacob," they say in unison. And then they both gasp. It was one of the names they had been throwing around, but had not decided on. Guess they decided.   
  
He hears footsteps and has only seconds to pass Jacob to Adrian before they’re engulfed in the tornado that is his brothers.   
  
He sees Adrian take Jacob to the rocking chair and Spencer comes up to him to peer at his new friend just as Craig turns the corner.  
  
“Did we miss it?" Craig asks. He comes into the room, followed by Pope and J.  
  
He turns his head to point at Adrian who is holding their son. _Their son_. He still can’t believe it.  
  
“No. Come meet our son, Jacob," Deran says to his brothers.   
  
Craig pulls him into a bear hug, “Congrats man," he says, as he makes his way over to Adrian.   
  
Pope and J also hug him. Pope says, “Lena called, they’re going to bring her by later."   
  
“Thanks man," Deran says. He looks over to see Craig cooing at his son, with Pope and J leaning over his shoulders.  
  
He looks around the room. He can’t help but smile. He sees Adrian, his husband, his love, holding their son. He sees his nephews, his brothers, his sister in law. _His family is complete_.   
  



	3. Make up. Wake up.

He was going to kill whoever was on the other side of that door. If it was one of his brothers he was going to lose his mind. They  _ just _ got Jacob to sleep after a rough night. I mean, who knew he wouldn’t sleep anymore?  It’s only been a month, and although he feels like a zombie, he wouldn’t trade this for anything. He’s pretty sure he and Adrian have a schedule worked out, but this past week, it feels like it’s all gone to shit. He pulls open the door about to give whoever is on the other side a piece of his mind, when he’s stopped in his tracks.

 

“Smurf.”

 

“Hey baby.” He can see she’s holding a tray of something she probably made them. Along with a gift bag on her arm. He’s still staring, almost frozen in place. They haven’t seen her since before Jacob was born. 

 

“Gonna invite me in?” Smurf asks him. Shit, he’s standing in the doorway effectively blocking the entire entrance. He takes one quick look down the hallway to where Jacob’s room is. Where he’s pretty sure Adrian is passed out in the rocking chair. Then he steps aside, “Sure. Yeah." He lets her inside.

 

She hands him the casserole dish. “Made you lasagna, figured you weren’t cooking as much."

 

“Thanks," he says as he walks the food into the kitchen, “Want a drink?"

 

“Water’s fine baby," Smurf answers him. He hates having her here. They usually go to her when they have to see her. And he especially hates it now that Jacob’s here. He brings her the water.

 

“So. Where’s my grandson?" Smurf asks him, as she sits on the couch, “I brought him something," as she points to the gift bag she placed on the coffee table.

 

“He’s sleeping. Finally." Deran answers. 

 

He sees her nod. “I remember those days." Smurf says. She has this weird look on her face, almost nostalgic. 

 

“I have to admit. I didn’t think this would last," Smurf says to him. He looks at her, not sure where she’s going with that last statement. 

 

“This?" 

 

“You. Adrian," she offers by way of explanation.

 

He doesn’t want to give her the satisfaction of getting upset or lashing out at her, but he can’t just ignore her, “We’ve been together since we were teenagers. I don’t know why you’d think that," he goes for instead.

 

She looks shocked. And he’s momentarily satisfied that he surprised her. Had she really not known? He can’t think too hard on it because he hears a door open and a sleepy looking Adrian is walking out of Jacob’s room, rubbing his eyes with one hand, and carrying Jacob with the other. 

 

He gets up and meets him in the hallway, “Hey. He couldn’t sleep?”

 

“No I think he’s hungry. It’s about time to feed him," Adrian says as he yawns.

 

“Okay I’ll get it." 

 

“It’s fine," Adrian says as he starts to walk to the kitchen with Jacob. Deran touches his arm softly and points his head towards the couch. That has Adrian stopping in his tracks.

 

“Smurf," Adrian says by way of greeting.

 

“Adrian," she responds, “Bring me my grandson. Deran can get the bottle." 

 

Deran really should give her a piece of his mind. How dare she come into their home and start barking orders. But, he can’t start yelling at her when Jacob has finally stopped crying and he needs to eat so he just nods as Adrian carefully sits down on the couch next to her. 

 

He looks up and sees her eyes soften once she gets a look at Jacob. Babies have that effect on people. He sees her tentatively reach a hand out to tickle Jacob’s stomach and he smiles as Jacob starts to wiggle. 

 

He can hear Adrian say, “Do you want to hold him?" and he can hear Smurf’s gasp in response.

 

“Yes. Thank you.," she says. It’s as much a surprise to him as it is to her apparently. He didn’t think Adrian would willingly hand him over, but they are in their home, so it can’t be _ that _ bad.

 

He finishes getting the bottle ready and walks back into the living room. Adrian’s not quite hovering but it’s close. He smiles.

 

“Smurf," he says and hands her the bottle. He doesn’t think he needs to explain, and by the way her eyes light up, he knows she’s happy. It’s weird, their new relationship with her. They still see her once a month, but that’s really it. She wasn’t even at their wedding. But, maybe Jacob will change all of that. Change her.

 

He sits down in one of the chairs. “He’s beautiful," she says to them, “Looks like Adrian."

 

“Thank you," they say in unison and smile.

 

“Well he certainly didn’t get that puff of red hair from me." Deran says and smiles.

 

“But he has your eyes," she says to Deran.

 

“Yeah. Little bit of both of us," Deran says, repeating Adrian’s words to him from all those months ago. 

 

She nods. He knows Craig told her. Or maybe it was Pope. Either way, it doesn’t matter. She was bound to find out eventually. 

 

“How is Jess doing?" she asks them.

 

“She’s good," Adrian responds, “Glad to be back to work I think."

 

He laughs. That sounds about right. Jess was not subtle about how over pregnancies she was near the end. 

 

He sees Smurf nod, “And are you two back at work?" she asks them.

 

“Just part time," Deran says. They usually work opposite hours anyways. The Shop closing when The Drop opens, but neither of them want to be away for too long. He loves his little family. 

 

“That’s good baby. Don’t work too hard," Smurf says back to him. He resists, strongly, the urge to roll his eyes. But then he notices that Adrian didn’t and he smiles.

 

“We won’t," Deran says back, “What’s in the bag?" he finally asks her, now that Jacob is back to sleeping.

 

“Oh. Something for Jacob," Smurf says, “Found it the other day." She proceeds to pull out a brown teddy bear, that has probably seen better days. It’s got a little blue bow tie, too. He thinks it looks vaguely familiar, but he can’t place it. He hears Adrian gasp. “Your teddy," Adrian says as he takes the bear and holds it to Deran.

 

“Mine?" Deran asks. And how is it that Adrian knows this and he doesn’t?

 

“Yes baby." Smurf says, “You used to bring that thing everywhere. I’ve washed it though. Pretty sure you had it with you when you two met on the playground."

 

“You did." Adrian says, and he’s smiling. Huh. Okay then. 

 

“Where’d you find it?" Deran asks.

 

“In the attic. I have boxes of all you boys’ things. Figured you could come by and see if you wanted anything else," she says, nonchalantly.

 

He’s oddly touched by that. He has so many conflicting emotions when it comes to her that he doesn’t know how to handle them sometimes.

 

“We’d like that. Thanks Smurf," Adrian says. And he’s never been so grateful that Adrian does know how to handle her. He sees her nod in acknowledgement. She goes to stand and hands Jacob over to Adrian.

 

“Well I should get going. But come over anytime to look through the stuff. We can have dinner," Smurf says.

 

“Okay. We will," Deran says, as he walks her out. He comes back to the living room to see Adrian sprawled out on the couch with Jacob against his chest. He feels his heart flutter.

 

“God. I love you," he says to Adrian, because he just can’t help it. Adrian smiles at him, “Love you too." 

 

He returns the smile and goes to sit on the couch. He pulls Adrian to him, so he can wrap his arm around all three of them.

 

“That was weird right?" Deran asks.

 

“Was a little, yeah," Adrian says.

 

“And what’s with keeping all the stuff?" 

 

“I don’t know. I think that’s what people do," Adrian chuckles, “I think it’s nice. Nicest thing she’s probably ever done."

 

“Yeah you’re right." Deran thinks that maybe Adrian likes the idea so much, because his own father doesn’t have anything from when Adrian was little.

 

“And I cannot believe you remember this..." Deran says as he grabs the teddy bear off the coffee table. He chuckles.

 

“What? I remember you had it on the playground. Really blonde hair and this teddy bear." Adrian says as he leans up for a kiss. Deran returns it before placing the bear next to where Jacob is laying.

 

“I’m glad he has it then," Deran says fondly. He sees Adrian smile up at him. 

 

They might not have much to give Jacob in terms of anything sentimental. He’s still hesitant to go searching through his things from Smurf. But he thinks, they can give him love, and a lifetime of memories. What more could he ask for? 

  
  



	4. Time Well Spent.

Adrian was at his wits end. Why Jacob wouldn’t listen to him, was beyond him.  _ Toddlers. _

 

“I don’t want that, Daddy. I want Dad," Jacob whines, while not eating his mac and cheese.

 

“I know buddy. But, he’s at work." Adrian sighs. This was becoming a nightly thing. Even though Deran made most of their dinners for them before he went to the bar, Jacob didn’t like eating if they both weren’t there. He guesses there could be worse things than their son wanting family dinners at night. Maybe this one last time won’t hurt.

 

“Jacob, if we go visit Dad at work tonight, can we eat here from now on?" Adrian asks him.

 

“Yes!" Jacob says enthusiastically. Adrian sure does hope Deran’s okay with this. Plus, there are a couple things on the menu Jacob will eat. He packs up Jacob’s things and gets them to The Drop with relative ease. He’s just opening the door and stepping inside when Heather spots them.

 

“Hey Adrian, Deran’s in the back. Want me to grab him?" Heather says, then turns to Jacob, “Hey buddy.”

 

“Yeah thanks," Adrian tells her, then turns to Jacob, “What do you say?”

 

“Hi Heather," Jacob says. Adrian laughs as Heather turns away to grab Deran.

 

Adrian brings them to a table near the bar and sits Jacob down and hands him his cellphone.

 

“Thought we said no phones at the dinner table?" Deran jokes as he comes up to rub Adrian’s neck and kisses him. Adrian rolls his eyes.

 

“Hi buddy." Deran says to Jacob, “Didn’t want to eat?”

 

“No," Jacob says, “You eat too.”

 

Adrian hears Deran sigh. The last couple of nights Deran has come home so Jacob would eat, but Deran can’t keep doing that. 

 

“Okay, bud. I’ll get more mac and cheese and I’ll come sit down and eat too.”

 

Jacob starts nodding, “Okay Daddy.” 

 

“We’ve got to do something about this." Deran turns to Adrian.

 

“I know.” Adrian sighs..

 

“What do you want?" 

 

“Huevos Rancheros.”.

 

“It’s dinner time," Deran responds while laughing.

 

Adrian shrugs, “It’s my favorite.” 

 

“Yeah yeah.” Deran ruffles Jacob’s hair and turns towards the kitchen.

 

“You going to actually eat when he comes back?” Adrian asks Jacob, who can’t be bothered to look up from the cartoon he’s watching, but he does nod his head. 

 

Heather comes to the table with water for them both and he’s never been so grateful.

 

“Thanks." Adrian says to her.

 

“No problem." Heather responds then goes back behind the bar. 

 

Adrian’s about to take a sip of his drink when he hears his name from a voice he didn’t think he’d ever hear again.

 

“Adrian?" Adrian turns his head to see if it’s really him. Yep. It is.

 

“Dave," Adrian says and nods his head. Dave is smiling at him and walking towards their table. Adrian knows the moment he spots Jacob because he sees Dave pause and almost miss a step. The noise causes Jacob to look up, “Daddy?”

 

“Jacob. Want to say hi to my friend Mr. Dave," Adrian goes for instead. They’re definitely not friends, but Jacob doesn’t need to know that. He shoots a look at Dave, silently asking him to just go along with it.

 

“Hi Mr. Dave," Jacob says to Dave and then goes back to his cartoon.

 

“Hi," Dave says a little bewildered. Dave seems frozen in place, and Adrian really doesn’t need him looming over the table.

 

“Want to sit?" Adrian gestures to one of the empty chairs, in which Dave sits down with a thud and sets his beer down on the table.

 

“So you have a kid?” Dave asks, although the answer is obvious.

 

“Yeah," Adrian says and smiles at Jacob, “He’s about to be three.”

 

“Three. Wow," Dave says. Adrian can see the multitude of questions brewing behind Dave’s eyes. 

 

“You can ask them,” Adrian prompts. Dave looks taken aback, but he schools his features quick enough.

 

“I didn’t realize you wanted kids?” 

 

Adrian shrugs and plays with the wedding ring on his left hand. 

 

“You’re married?”  

 

“Yeah," Adrian says and smiles.

 

“Didn’t realize you ever wanted to get married. You always said it was a  _ pipe dream _ ,” Dave doesn’t look upset, just curious. 

 

“Things changed,” Adrian says. He remembers, all those years ago, barely hanging on, and telling Dave about Deran. Well, not so much about  _ Deran,  _ just that there was someone, once. He’s glad things changed. 

 

“I can see that," Dave laughs, “So what are you doing in a bar with your son, man?” 

 

“He wouldn’t eat dinner, so I brought him here," Adrian says. He’s not entirely sure he wants to get into this now with Dave. He only met Deran once, but he’s pretty sure Dave knows that Deran had something to do with him ending up in the middle of the ocean. Dave is giving him a funny look, but he ignores it.

 

“Daddy’s here!” Jacob says enthusiastically. Dave just tips his head in question and looks at Adrian.

 

“His other dad.” Adrian offers by way of explanation. 

 

“Right. That makes sense.”

 

Adrian laughs, “I mean...I am gay...if you recall.”

 

“I remember,” Dave says and smiles. Adrian smiles back. For as much as he loves Deran, has always loved Deran, Dave was a good friend. And he was there for him, when Deran couldn’t and wouldn’t be. 

 

“What about you? Got anybody special?” Adrian asks. He notices Dave starting to blush, and a shy, sweet smile plays about his lips. Adrian smiles back.  

 

“It’s new,” Dave says, “But I like him, so it seems to be going well.”

 

“Happy for you, man.” Adrian says and Dave tips his beer towards Adrian.

 

“Alright, one mac and cheese for you buddy, and two huevos rancheros for us,” Deran says as he comes over and puts the plates down. Deran finally looks up, and Adrian can see the exact moment that Deran spots Dave, because his entire posture stiffens.

 

“Thank you Dad,” Jacob says. Deran turns and ruffles his hair again. 

 

“Dave.” Deran nods to Dave. 

 

“Hey man, was just catching up with Adrian here." 

 

Adrian can see Deran nod as he goes to sit down. Dave must realize that they’re together, and he’s really hoping that Deran is civil, especially since Jacob is here. Adrian looks over at Jacob, and smiles at how quickly he is shoveling the noodles into his mouth. Deran looks over at Jacob as well, and smiles.

 

“Finally.” Deran laughs, then turns to Dave. “He’s in this weird phase where he won’t eat if we aren’t all together. It would be sweet, if it wasn’t impractical.” 

 

Dave looks back and forth between them, and Adrian is shocked, too. That’s probably the most Deran has said to someone who wasn’t family in a long time.

 

“This is his bar.” Adrian offers by way of explanation and smiles at Deran.

 

“No shit.” Dave says, and then immediately winces. “Sorry.”

 

“No worries, man. He hears worse than that around my brothers.” Deran says. The table falls silent. The only sound they can hear is Jacob eating. Deran gives Adrian an  _ I’m sorry _ look. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who had hurt Dave all those years ago. Especially after Adrian stopped visiting him in the hospital. He was too wracked with guilt over what had happened and it was hard to face Dave.

 

“Yeah, I can understand that. Got me some of those.” Dave says as he moves to stand, “I’ll let you get back to your dinner. It was nice seeing you Adrian.”

 

“Yeah you too, man," Adrian says as Dave walks away.

 

“I’m sorry,” is the first thing Deran says when Dave is out of earshot. 

 

“It’s fine." Adrian reassures him as he takes Deran’s hand across the table. “Besides, it’s time to eat.” Adrian squeezes Deran’s hand one last time, before digging into his own dinner. He notices Deran do the same and he smiles. Much like that breakfast, so long ago, in this very bar, Deran continues to surprise him. 

 

“Love you.” Deran says around a mouthful, and then leans to kiss Jacob on his head.

 

Jacob looks up, “Love you too Daddy," and then he goes back to eating. Adrian smiles, because really, there’s nothing better than that. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Mirror Image.

One of the things he loved about owning a dive bar was that he didn’t have to go to work early in the morning. But, that did mean he had the mornings free to do things around the house. Today was laundry. So...as he’s going through the house with the laundry basket, he stops in his son's room to grab his clothesand groans.  

 

It looks like a bomb went off. Honestly how does one sixteen year old get so messy? There are clothes _everywhere_ , and it was not like this the other day. He goes to step inside the room and hears a meow. He picks up a sweater and sure enough their new kitten jumps out. He grabs her and picks her up. They were skeptical about getting another cat after Drop passed, but he’s glad they did. He pinches the bridge of his nose.

 

“Jacob!" He sees his son's head pop out of the bathroom. There’s a mysterious glob of something jelly looking in his hand that distracts him.

 

“What is that?”

 

“Hair gel." Jacob says as he runs the glob through his hair.

 

 _Hair gel_. He shakes his head. “Your room is a mess.”

 

“Oh yeah. I couldn’t find an outfit.” Jacob answers, then turns back into the bathroom.

 

Couldn’t find an outfit. _This kid._

 

“And when are you going to clean it?" He’s about to lose his patience.

 

“Oh...uh…after school.”

 

“No. You’re going to clean it now." He answers, as he continues to pet the cat.

 

He hears Jacob laugh. “You know, it’s hard to listen to you when you’re holding the cat.”

 

“Jacob…”

 

“What?"

 

“You’re going to listen to me.’ He tries again, much more firm this time.

 

“Eh." Jacob shrugs.

 

“Or you can listen to me." Adrian says as he walks into the room. “Clean your room now. Or I take the car and you come right home after school."

 

“Dad!" Jacob shouts.

 

“Now." He hears Jacob grumbling as he walks to the kitchen to start breakfast. He puts the cat down and turns to Adrian.

 

“I swear…” He hears Adrian laugh.

 

“You were not much better if I recall." Adrian pours a cup of coffee.

 

“Yeah yeah." He laughs and leans to kiss Adrian, as he starts making eggs and bacon.

 

He’s almost done plating breakfast when Jacob comes in and sits down at the island. He sees Adrian slide him a cup of coffee. Honestly why they let him drink it so young is beyond him. He doesn’t need any additional boosts of energy. Good thing he doesn’t know it’s usually decaf. He smiles to himself.

 

“Hey Dad. Can I bring my board by the Shop after school? I need a new leash."

 

“Why don’t you just put it in the truck now..." Adrian suggests.

 

“Well...I wanted to come by the Shop." Jacob says. He’s hedging.

 

“Why?" Adrian laughs. He realizes it too.

 

“I wanted to show Vera the Shop, ya know..." .

 

“Who’s Vera?".

 

“Oh...uh she’s a friend," Jacob says. He sees him begin to blush.

 

“A friend huh?" Deran teases back.

 

“Dad!" Jacob says outraged. It’s cute, this crush he has. Although he would never say that to Jacob.

 

“You can bring her by." Adrian says while laughing.

 

“Thanks. Oh Spencer’s in town. Auntie Jess says I can stay over this weekend if that’s okay?" he asks them both.

 

“Or he could stay here." Deran suggests.

 

“What? C’mon…” Jacob whines. “We’re not gonna throw a party just cause he’s twenty one.”

 

“Uh huh. Right. He can stay over here." Adrian says this time.

 

“This is not fair. You two weren’t all innocent when you were younger." Jacob says around a mouthful of eggs.

 

He quirks an eyebrow. “It’s not like I’m out robbing a church or trying to smuggle cocaine in a surfboard." Jacob quips.

 

He drops his fork. “I’m gonna kill Craig." He hears Adrian chuckle so he glares at him.

 

“So I can stay with Spencer?" Jacob presses again.

 

“That’s fine."

 

“Awesome! Okay see ya later. Love you!" Jacob rushes out as he kisses both their cheeks and runs out the front door.

 

“He’s got a girlfriend?" Adrian asks.

 

“Apparently. I should have him come work the fryer on Saturday just so he smells like grease. Or wait tables during the brunch crowd, for this morning.”

 

“Or I could have him work the register at the Shop so he can see all his friends surfing on the beach, while he’s stuck inside," Adrian suggests.

 

“You win." He laughs and kisses Adrian, “You gotta tell me what the girlfriend is like," he says, curious enough about anyone who snags his son’s interest.

 

“I’ll text you.” Adrian laughs. “Gotta get to the Shop. Just me this morning," he says as he leans over to kiss Deran again, “love you”

 

“Love you too. Take your lunch.” He hands Adrian his lunch bag.

 

“Thanks." Adrian says as he walks to the front door. He smiles to himself. Okay, back to chores.

 

**~~~**

 

Adrian is so ready to close up and head home. It’s been a long day. When he bought the Shop all those years ago he didn’t think it’d be this much work. He chuckles to himself. He hears the bell of the front door, indicating someone walking in. He hears the cashier up front and breathes a sigh of relief. “Hey Jake, your dad’s in the back." “Thanks man." He hears Jacob’s reply. At least all those lessons on manners didn’t go to waste.

 

“Hey Dad. " Jacob says as he puts his board down on the table.

 

“Hey.” He smiles. He can see Jacob is nervous. They’ve never been introduced to any of Jacob’s girlfriends before. Although they know he’s had some. That sex talk was _particularly_ frightening for everybody.

 

“This is Vera.” Jacob says as he gestures towards her.

 

“Nice to meet you Mr. Cody.” She holds out her hand. _How sweet._

 

“Call me Adrian.” He shakes her hand. She smiles.

 

“This place is really cool.”

 

“Thanks. Do you surf?”

 

“No." She giggles. “Jake’s gonna teach me.”

 

He sees Jacob blush. Cute.

 

“Well...have him come by before and we’ll fit you for a board.” He figures that might win him some brownie points.

 

“That would be awesome. Thank you.”

 

“Thanks Dad. Gotta fix my leash too.” Jacob points down towards his board.

 

“Yeah. We can do it together when you’re here Saturday on the register.” He hears Jacob groan.

 

“Dad…”

 

“Vera would you like to come to family dinner Sunday at our house?" Now he’s really smirking at Jacob’s red face. Serves him right after his attitude this morning.

 

“I’d love to, thank you.” He likes her.

 

“We’ll see you then." He says as he walks them towards the front. “I gotta close up. I’ll see you at home.”

 

“Love you." Jacob says as he waves goodbye.

 

“Love you too." He says back and smiles as he hears Vera’s “I like your Dad," and Jacob’s reply “Wait til you meet my other one."

 

**~~~**

 

Deran’s glad the week is finally over. Now he’s busy cooking dinner for everyone. A tradition they started to have everyone over on Sunday’s. He likes it. He sees Craig walk in with beers.

 

“Dude. Thank you. Give me one." He says as he takes a swig.

 

Craig laughs. “Yeah had to get extra man, Spence is twenty one now.”

 

“Better not give any to Jacob..." He warns.

 

“You are no fun.” Craig says as he swipes a cookie.

 

“Those are for dessert." He swats at Craig’s hand.

 

Adrian comes in and snags a cookie, too. He glares. “Also, if you could stop telling Jacob about our _activities_ that’d be great." Adrian smirks.

 

“C’mon man, he wanted to know!"

 

He shakes his head. “He brought his girlfriend." He gestures outside to where Jacob and Vera are.

 

“What?! Kid’s got a girlfriend? Can’t wait for this." Craig says as he walks outside. He laughs.

 

“Think that’s gonna end well?" Adrian smirks.

 

“Nope. At least until he pulls out Jacob’s baby pictures.”. Adrian laughs.

 

“Hey Uncle Deran, Uncle Adrian." Spencer says as he walks in with his girlfriend Abby.

 

“Hey," they both say, “Jacob’s outside.”

 

“Thanks." Spencer says, as they hear Jacob’s shout of “Spence! Come check out the fire!”

 

“Coming!" Spencer replies as they walk outside.

 

Jess comes in carrying more beer. “Geez I own a bar you know." He says to her. She smirks, “I know. I’m heading outside."

 

“Take these." Adrian hands her the plates. They watch her walk outside.

 

“Pope coming?" Adrian asks him.

 

“No. Something with wedding planning I think. Honestly he texts me everyday to remind me that Lena’s wedding is in two weeks. Like we didn’t get an invitation!"

 

Adrian laughs. “That’s Pope."

 

“Yeah.”

 

“What about J?"

 

“No. One of the kids is sick or something."

 

“Don’t miss those days." Adrian smiles.

 

“Oh you mean when he was young and didn’t talk back?" He teases. Adrian smiles and shakes his head.

 

They turn at the sound of a crash outside.

 

“Jacob! Get off that railing!" Adrian shouts at him and groans. He can hear Jacob laughing.

 

“He’s gonna be the death of me." Adrian says.

 

He smirks and pulls Adrian to him, “Thought you said that about me last night in bed?" He whispers in Adrian’s ear. He can feel Adrian shiver.

 

“You’re insufferable." Adrian deadpans, a little breathless. He smiles and kisses Adrian’s cheek.

 

“You love me.”

 

“I do.”

 

“Jacob! Off the railing!" Adrian yells again. He laughs.

 

“I swear if he’s rolling his eyes at me..." Adrian directs at him. He can’t help it, he laughs again.

 

“Think he learned that from you." He says to Adrian, who proceeds to roll his eyes.

 

“See…"

 

“Shut up.”

 

“He’s just showing off.”

 

Adrian gives him a _look_. “What?"

 

“Think he learned that from you." Adrian smirks.

 

“Me?!" He feigns outrage. “Never.”

 

Adrian looks at him. “We are _never_ telling him about the time you skateboarded off the side of the pier."

 

“Deal." He laughs and kisses Adrian.

 

“C’mon help me grab this stuff. Dinner’s ready.” He says as they walk outside.

 

“Let’s eat!" He says and everyone comes running towards the table. While there are a few people missing, he’s never been so glad to be around family. He smiles at Adrian. Never been so glad.

 


	6. Good Ol' Days.

It’s early. Too early to be at the bar, and yet, they’re both here. “Thanks for helping me today." Deran says to Adrian as he drops the last case of beer by the desk in his office.

 

“No problem." Adrian says as he wipes the sweat off his forehead.

 

“I know it’s your day off.”

 

“I know. But we haven’t done this in a while. Missed it.”

 

“Missed hard labor and cutting up fruit?" 

 

He hears Adrian laugh. “No. Being here with you. Just us.”

 

“You know what else we could do that’s just us?" He suggests as he looks over to the ladder. 

 

Adrian groans. “No. I didn’t like that thing twenty years ago. No way am I going up there now." 

 

“C’mon old man. It’ll be fun.”

 

“I’ll show you fun." Adrian says to him and then he’s being dragged back towards the couch. He starts kissing him, as he pulls off Adrian’s shirt and works on his pants. 

 

They’re finally naked, pressed against each other. He’s laying on top of Adrian now, and he nips at his lips. Adrian moans. “Gonna show me who's old?" Adrian replies cheekily. 

 

“Show you old," he whispers and kisses Adrian,  _ hard _ . They’re moving against each other, and he should probably be worried that they’re both likely to get off just like this, on the couch, in his bar, but he doesn’t care. He feels Adrian’s hands grab his ass and he can’t help the moan that escapes.

 

He feels like he’s about to fly apart, when the door to his office bangs open and they hear a scream. He immediately freezes and locks eyes with none other than their son Jacob. 

 

“Jesus Christ!" Jacob yells. “Ew..ew..ew..” 

 

He’s completely frozen. Sure that the look of horror on his son’s face matches his own. He hears Adrian laugh underneath him. “This is  _ not  _ funny," he hisses. 

 

“Kinda funny." Adrian says as he drags a blanket over them.

 

“Get out," Adrian says to Jacob, who’s got his eyes closed.

 

“I’m out. I’m out. Be at the bar.” Jacob says and closes the door.

 

He almost face plants into Adrian’s chest, unable to hold himself up anymore.

 

“Jesus." He looks up at Adrian.

 

“We should’ve gone surfing." Adrian says back.

 

“Now you’re really trying to kill me." He says as he rolls off Adrian, reluctantly, to grab his clothes.

 

He feels Adrian kiss him on the cheek. “C’mon hopefully we didn’t scare him too badly."

 

“Serves him right for just barging in like that," he grumbles. He hears Adrian laugh. 

 

They walk out, fully dressed, to see Jacob sitting at the bar playing on his phone. Jacob looks up when he hears them and he grimaces at them.  _ Feelings mutual, kid. _

 

They’re at a standoff. For once Deran isn’t sure what to say and it looks like Jacob would rather be anywhere but here. Speaking of, what’s he doing here in the middle of the day.

 

“Shouldn’t you be at school?" 

 

“It’s a half day." Jacob says, like they should know.  _ Right _ . They did know that.

 

“Okay, and that means you come to the bar alone?" He asks Jacob, then turns to Adrian for some backup.

 

He sees Jacob shrug. “Don’t make me take back your key.”

 

“Dad! What the fuck?!" Jacob yells.

 

“Watch your mouth young man.” He says back as sternly as he can. Then shakes his head.  _ Damn, _ he sounds like Smurf. Scary. He even sees Adrian’s mouth twitch. Asshole.

 

“Sorry." Jacob replies.

 

“Jacob. What’s going on?" Adrian asks him. “You’re not coming in here to drink are you?”

 

Damn, he hadn’t even thought of that. 

 

“Wouldn’t Dad notice if his inventory was missing?" Jacob says back to them. When did he get so mouthy?

 

“Watch it." Deran warns. He hears Jacob sigh. 

 

“I just like it here." Jacob finally says. 

 

“You just like it here?" 

 

“Yeah. You know. All your stuff from when you were younger. The boards. The pictures. I like the Shop too." Jacob finally answers.  _ Huh. _ He never thought of it like that. Sure Jacob knew that they owned the bar and the surf shop, but he knows they’ve never really talked about how or why.

 

“We have stuff at the house ya know." Adrian says.

 

“I know. But you never talk about it. I know you met when you were young. And everything else is pretty much whatever Uncle Craig has told me." .

 

He sighs. He knows they haven’t talked a lot about their beginning. But how do you bring up such painful memories and explain them to your son? He glances at Adrian but he looks just as stricken. 

 

“It wasn’t always good." Adrian settles on. 

 

“Good?" Jacob questions.

 

“Yeah. I mean you know what happened to your Uncle Baz, and Cath, and why Lena had to live with another family. You know about the jobs your dad and his brothers pulled. You know how Grandma Smurf was. That Uncle Pope was in prison," Adrian says.

 

“I miss Grandma Smurf," Jacob says. It’s weird to hear somebody say that. She mellowed as she got older, but he never could quite forget everything that had happened.

 

“We know you do buddy," Adrian says. He sees Adrian look at him. 

 

“What did you want to know?" He figures this is better than going on a fishing expedition for whatever his son is looking for.

 

“Well I know about the drugs and Dad being in prison, and all the jobs. But I don’t really know how you two met, I mean, other than as kids," Jacob says. 

 

Well, just another thing to add to the list. They never really went into details. Jacob knows how they got engaged, knows about their wedding, but they don’t talk a whole lot about before those things happened. 

 

“We were on the circuit together," Adrian replies.

 

“I know that." Jacob says and then huffs out a breath. “I mean… why didn’t you ever tell me you beat Dad up in a bathroom?"

 

He almost falls off the barstool he’s sitting on and Adrian looses his place leaning against the bar. He feels like all the air has been pushed out of his lungs and that he can’t breathe. They both had collectively decided that they wouldn’t bring this up. He really was going to kill Craig. It must show on his face, because Jacob finally speaks again. “Uncle J told me." Huh. He hadn't expected that. He guesses it’s because he was there, and J went through a phase after his first daughter was born about repenting for his sins or something.

 

“He was there so that makes sense," Adrian says, taking the words out of his head. He looks to Adrian and Adrian smiles at him. He feels like he can start to breathe again.

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you both," Jacob says, and he looks so stricken, it makes his heart break. He reaches out to pat his leg, his own heart ache momentarily forgotten. “It’s okay bud, you didn’t."

 

“It was a long time ago," Adrian says again. That makes Jacob pull his head up and look at Adrian.

 

“I know we’ve told you about how your Grandma Smurf was, and how things were for your dad back then. Times were different," Adrian says, and just like that, Deran’s transported back there. To that day that almost destroyed them. _Did_ destroy them for a little while. But, as much as he likes to put that day behind him, he can’t listen to Adrian try to explain away what Deran did, and why he did it. If there are two people in this world that he does not make excuses in front of, it’s them. 

 

He makes a strangled sound, and grabs at Adrian’s hand from where it is on the bar top. “Ace, it’s okay.”

 

He sees Adrian’s eyes soften and he smiles. He turns to Jacob, and sees him looking between them almost like he’s watching a ping pong match. “I should never have done what I did. I was scared, ashamed, and overwhelmed. But that is no excuse for what happened. For what I did to your dad. I hurt him, and I asked your Uncle J to help, when he was just as scared and vulnerable as well. I was not a good person back then, and I work every day, and have worked every day since then to show your dad that I love him, and that I’m sorry." 

 

He feels Adrian squeeze his hand. 

 

“I didn’t know that," Jacob says. 

 

“We know buddy, and we’re sorry we never told you. But it really is water under the bridge now for both of us. There’s a lot of years of love between us," Adrian says. He sees Jacob nod. “And I know we’ve had the conversation with you about not using your fists to handle issues right?" Adrian reminds Jacob.

 

“Yes Dad." Jacob says, slightly exasperated. “Good," Adrian says, and he sees Adrian look over to him, “Love you."

 

“Love you too," he says to Adrian. 

 

“Ugh you two are so gross." Jacob says and then he sees him get this weird look in his eyes.

 

“What?" 

 

“Oh god. I’ve just realized that you’ve probably had sex everywhere in this bar!" Jacob says as he stands up. “Ew probably on these chairs."

 

“They’re new.” He points out and laughs. He can see Adrian’s eyes twinkling. 

 

“Ugh, and probably everywhere in the house too!" Jacob is still screaming. He doesn’t know how they got on the topic of their sex life, especially with their son in the room. But he figures that their earlier interruption is being remembered. 

 

“Oh, no. Don’t tell me my room has been compromised!?" Jacob says, and he sounds so upset that he can’t help but chuckle.

 

He hears Adrian quip, “Not since you were born." And then he can’t help it, he nearly falls off the barstool because he’s laughing so hard.

 

“Gross. Gross!" Jacob is still shouting. Adrian’s just smiling. “What he asked?" 

 

He’s still laughing. He sees Adrian pass him a water bottle, that he sips once he calms down. Jacob is looking back and forth between them scowling. 

 

“Quit being dramatic. Sex is normal." Deran says to Jacob. He can hear Adrian snort laugh.

 

“No. Nope, not having this conversation.”

 

“You did ask.”

 

“Sorry I’m un-asking now.” He can hear Adrian laugh. 

 

“Well now that we’ve settled that, how about we go get some lunch. We haven’t had a family day in a while," Adrian says to both of them. He likes that idea. A lot. Life always gets in the way, but they love going out just the three of them. He doesn’t know what they’ll do when Jacob moves out or moves away. He shakes the thought off.

 

“Yes! I want pizza. And shotgun!" Jacob says as he runs towards their car. 

 

They both laugh. He sees Adrian walk around the bar towards him. He smiles, and leans to kiss Adrian, “I love you," he says to Adrian. “I love you, too," Adrian answers and kisses him again.

 

“Gotta go before he takes the car." He laughs. “Yeah, he probably got that from me," and he smiles. “You think?" Adrian laughs. 

 

As they walk outside to see Jacob sitting in the front seat, blasting music, he thinks back to everything that happened that lead them both here, and he wouldn’t change a thing. He locks the bar, and hears Adrian’s “You coming?" from the driver’s seat. “Yeah," he says back as he gets in the car with his family. Always. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!!! Come find me on Tumblr - same usersname!


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